Cream Beans

Beans are in my opinion quite underrated. Kidney beans are a rich source of protein, folate, iron and phosphorus. But kids usually don't like beans.

While I love beans in almost any form, my kids, especially my boys, are different. Anything that looks like "healthy" is looked at critically.

Canned vs. dried

Sometimes canned vegetables can be really good. This is the case with tomatoes or pelati, but beans or chickpeas are also really good in tins. These have the advantage that within a few minutes you have cooked the food together into a finished meal, and the tiresome soaking is no longer necessary.

Spontaneity thanks to canned food

I think other canned vegetables are less good because they often have that metallic side taste that you almost can't get rid of. I'm thinking of green beans or peas.

We are back in Italy... almost

This recipe is based on a Tuscan dish, but since I didn't want to make "baked beans" (beans in tomato sauce), I came up with this modified version.

Ingredients

2 cans of canellini beans, approx. 500g (without water)

1 onion fine chopped

1 cloves of garlic, crushed and shopped

10 cl white wine

10 cl beef or chicken broth

10 cl heavy cream

1 ½ tablespoons of corn starch

2 tablespoons olive oil

salt and pepper, if needed

Preparation

Heat up the oil in a pan and fry the onion and garlic on a low heat for a few minutes. Take care that the onions don’t burn.

Add the white wine and bring to a boil.

Add the beans (after you drained the almost all the water from the can). Heat up. Now add the broth and bring it to simmer. Taste and add salt or pepper if needed.

Add now the cream. The sauce should become quite thick. If not, add the corn starch and bring to boil for a couple of seconds until the sauce gets thick and creamy.